I own a small business with 11 employees, about 13 computers and a half dozen or more other devices. We currently run a peer to peer network and all the machines are on Windows 7. Is it time I bit the bullet and upgraded to a server based system? [more inside]
posted by bowline
on Jun 14, 2014 -
12 answers

I am travelling to Chicago in two weeks and want to use my smartphone whilst I am there (and away from WiFi). Importantly though I am not actually bothered about making phone calls. DATA is what I crave. What are my best sim card options? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious
on Jan 29, 2014 -
6 answers

What are the Netflix engineers currently doing to make sure that this weekend's release of Arrested Development Season 4 will go off without a hitch? [more inside]
posted by burnfirewalls
on May 22, 2013 -
17 answers

Let's say you have a global disaster where the traditional web is no longer available (all ISPs are down, or a virus/cyber-attack incapacitates the web for entire regions of the world). What are the data communication alternatives in this sort of context? Is anyone still running a BBS? Does anyone even have a dialup modem anymore? Is there something better than this? [more inside]
posted by furtive
on Feb 25, 2013 -
12 answers

I'm teaching a minicourse about networks, graphs, and computation to a non-technical audience (mostly grad students in the humanities.) What's the right software platform? [more inside]
posted by escabeche
on Jun 18, 2012 -
7 answers

What is the best way for someone with plenty of sysadmin and programming experience but no actual professional IT experience to begin a career in IT? [more inside]
posted by jpg15
on Jul 1, 2011 -
10 answers

Home Networking Help. For some strange reason my home network has stopped working properly. I have lost all connections between computers, can't print anymore, and some computers are having trouble getting IP addresses. I've been banging my head against the wall for a while on this and would appreciate some help. [more inside]
posted by sauril
on May 15, 2011 -
20 answers

I am looking to do a project on the effects of latency on cloud computing, specifically latency impacting on Amazon EC2 virtual machines and I am trying to get my head around it. EC2 is an Infrastructure As A Service cloud product. Unfortunately, I do not have much experience with it.
I haven't found alot on the internet on this area; has anyone seen any information on this subject?
Could anyone make suggestions about appropriate ways to do latency benchmarking in this area.
What kind of things ought I be looking to include in any benchmark tests.
How exactly do others go about measuring latency for Amazon EC2. Are there any software tools out there which will help.
posted by conrad101
on Apr 11, 2011 -
8 answers

I am interested in cloud computing and I am looking for recommendations re interesting and worthy articles and papers on the subject of cloud computing.
One area of interest is in how it will change the old-fashioned client-server network model - the status quo.
Is outsourcing the network infrastructure really going to produce a dramatic transformation or is it somewhat over-hyped and exagerated.
posted by conrad101
on Apr 4, 2011 -
12 answers

I work in health communications and have spend a couple of years now engaging with adult patients and the public using Facebook and Twitter. Now I need to understand how to communicate with a much younger age group using social networks - but have no idea where to start... [more inside]
posted by ozgirlabroad
on Feb 6, 2011 -
6 answers

I'm going to Spain for a bit and want, if possible, to get a pay-as-you-go Spainish sim card for my (unlocked) iPhone that will allow me to use data at a reasonable price. Does anyone know if such a product exists in Spain? I don't speak Spanish so bonus points if it's possible to buy one over the internet and have it shipped to me in the UK (though I know that's unlikely)... [more inside]
posted by ascullion
on Mar 14, 2010 -
5 answers

I'm trying to find communities/forums/social networks that would focus on MCAT and LSAT. The end goal is to find qualified teachers for these subjects (not help on taking the actual exams).. any ideas? [more inside]
posted by Kattiara17
on Jun 10, 2009 -
3 answers

How does projecting the winner of the US presidential election work? And what is the earliest time at which the election may be called? [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane
on Oct 15, 2008 -
23 answers

So which P2P networks garner the most RIAA lawsuits? The lawsuits are, of course, a sort of cloak and dagger affair, but isn't there some data on this kind of thing? [more inside]
posted by tmcw
on Jun 20, 2008 -
5 answers

I cannot maintain a connection to my wireless network. I think it might have something to do with the EIGHTEEN other wireless networks available around me. What can I do? (And let's knock this one out early: I'm on a completely different channel from all the other networks). [more inside]
posted by logovisual
on Feb 19, 2008 -
11 answers

I will be starting a new job this Monday as a systems admin for a small company, and I was wondering, what are some good resources that might be helpful for someone like me? [more inside]
posted by erpava
on Jul 5, 2007 -
8 answers

I would like to know what a good resource would be to help me code neural networks in Java from scratch.
The best I could find was this resource:
http://www.mathtools.net/Java/Neural_Networks/
I have Neural Networks by Haykin as well as Simulating Neural Networks with Mathematica.
posted by zzztimbo
on Jun 9, 2007 -
7 answers

DNS and Small Business Server and Caches, oh my: We switched web hosts at work (and waited a few days for things to propagate), but from the office network I still see the site on the old host. Can anyone help me understand DNS caching, Active Directory, and all the other bits and bobs that go along with the mysterious world of Windows networks? [more inside]
posted by bcwinters
on Feb 3, 2007 -
15 answers

Looking for some tips on how to extend a wireless network in a rural area. Computer savvy but getting lost in the technicalities of repeaters and access points and tin cans.
[more inside]
posted by Smegoid
on Aug 10, 2006 -
9 answers

This happened to me last week at O'Hare - and now, today, in LAX. I opened my laptop in the terminal and checked for wireless networks. I noticed that there was a "computer-to-computer" network called "Free Public Wifi" available. I didn't try to connect, because I know that such networks generally can't provide internet access if there's no other connection available.
Does this mean there are folks trying to socially engineer gullible wireless users? What could they gain? Would Windows be more vulnerable than Macs? AND how would a curious samaritan figure out who, amongst the dozen or more folks with open laptops in the vicinity, the culprit is?
posted by soulbarn
on Feb 23, 2006 -
33 answers

Another Mac/PC question. I want to switch back to Mac, but my office is all PC. Help me figure out if a Mac will be compatible, and if it's worth the trouble. (I know it's been asked before, but I have specific questions.) [more inside]
posted by kdern
on Dec 29, 2005 -
20 answers

I owe a great debt of gratitude to all the noobs in my neighbourhood who keep open, unsecured wireless networks. It's because of them that we can blog from the laundromat, blog from the waterfront park, blog from... well, you get the idea. How can I make my network 'open' to others without compromising the security of my computers? [more inside]
posted by optimuscrime
on Nov 21, 2005 -
35 answers

Are all P2P file sharting networks evil and infect your computer with wiruses and spyware?
Also, does anyone know how to copy DVDs (that I have legally purchased and copy them to my video iPod?
posted by danielpcummings
on Oct 26, 2005 -
8 answers

I'd like to get a handle on computer security. Where should I start? I'd like to stress that I am NOT talking about spyware and viruses here, but the more interesting things like authentication and authorization. [more inside]
posted by ChrisR
on Sep 11, 2005 -
13 answers

Are there any inexpensive home routers with support for traffic shaping? I'm willing to load third-party firmware as long as it's stable and cheap. [more inside]
posted by Eamon
on Jul 23, 2005 -
7 answers

I am curious as to how an hour-long nationally televised program in the U.S., like say E.R., is actually broadcast. Does one person in New York or L.A. push a play button to start the show and all the commercials, or is there coordination between NBC and local affiliate technicians? For that matter, how is the entire programming day coordinated? What goes wrong to create “technical difficulties”? (Ignore the feed into satellite and/or cable TV for my purposes).
posted by punkfloyd
on Dec 28, 2004 -
10 answers

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